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BARB appoints new research director

28 January 2010

BARB has appointed Simon Bolus to the post of Research Director of BARB with effect from April 2010.

Simon has been Research Manager at BARB since March 2003 and takes over from Tony Wearn. After 11 years as Research Director at BARB, Tony is taking some time off to travel, returning in the autumn in a consultancy capacity.

Simon, who has an MSc in Applied Statistics, joined BARB from Zenith Media where he had been Head of Research. Before that, he was Production Audience Research Manager at Carlton Television.

BARB’s Chief Executive, Bjarne Thelin, said, ‘I am delighted to appoint Simon as BARB’s new Research Director. He has first-class research skills, experience of many aspects of the media industry from support of media planning and buying to analysing and interpreting schedule performance, and an extensive knowledge of the BARB system. He has worked closely with Tony Wearn in the introduction of the new BARB contracts and will play a valuable role in ensuring an effective dialogue with our stakeholders.’

The new BARB television audience measurement service started on 1 January 2010, following extensive testing of a completely new system, the introduction of new methodologies, improved geographical design and a new panel of viewers.

Notes to Editors

BARB started reporting UK television audiences in 1981, providing the industry-standard audience measurement service for television broadcasters and the advertising industry. It is a not-for-profit limited company owned by BBC, ITV, Channel 4, five, BSkyB and the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising.

BARB provides in-home TV viewing measurement for the UK. This is obtained from a panel of 5,100 homes. These homes return data from around 11,500 viewers. Viewing from visitors to the home is included (Guest Viewing). Viewing figures are available to subscribers the morning after transmission. VCR and PVR playback is incorporated within 7 days of transmission (Consolidated Viewing). Audiences are reported on a minute-by-minute basis.

The panel design is representative of the whole of the UK. People are recruited from all sectors of the population. All viewing environments in the home are represented. Multiple TV sets are measured. BARB measures both analogue and digital delivery via cable, satellite and terrestrial distribution.

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